Monday, November 21, 2011

Book & Audio Review: Legend by Marie Lu

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

The audio:

When we were given Legend on audiobook, I jumped at the chance to listen to it, and I'm really glad I did. This audiobook was fantastic! I absolutely love it when the publishers use two different readers, a guy and a girl, for the two main characters. Legend is told from alternating viewpoints, some told from June's point of view, and some from Day's. The chapters from June's point of view were read by Mariel Stern and she did a fantastic job. I hate it when Young Adult books, that are written in first person, are read by people who sound like they're 30 or 40. I don't know how old Mariel Stern is, but she did a great job sounding like she was a teenage girl. I could easily believe that it was actually June talking to me, telling me her story. It was the same with Day. Day's point of view was read by Steve Kaplan, and I thought he did a great job. Both of the readers had subtle changes for each character they read for, but nothing drastic, which worked for this book. To tell you how much I liked it, I started it last Friday, listening on my iPod while I packed for Mexico, and finished it on the plane the next day. Once I started it, all I wanted to do was listen to more. If you haven't read Legend yet, I would absolutely recommend getting it on audio! The readers really bring the story to life!

The book:

Yes, you can add me to the long list of people who loved this book, and who recommend it to everyone! If you are a fan of dystopian novels like The Hunger Games and Divergent, you will love this book too. It is full of action, mystery, heartbreak, romance, and some crazy messed up people! And June and Day are absolutely fantastic characters to read.

We have two reviews of Legend up, if you'd like to read more about how awesome this book is, you can find Amy's review here, and Abigaile's review here. Whether you read it, or listen to it, you don't want to miss out on this exciting new series!

P.S. I let my friend, Leah, borrow this book. She read it in 5 hours and loved it!

Book Doppelgangers: Divergent by Veronica Roth, Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

4 comments:

Great review! I might get it on audio if it's good. I'm so picky when it comes to listening, since it's hard for me to slip into the story. But I really love when they differ voice for the characters, so that's a plus! Also, this one sounds extremely good! I cannot wait until I get a chance to read it. :)